When Don Quixote officially stepped onto the battlefield, the first thing he saw was the countless spectators seated high in the stands, their cheers echoing throughout, and the commentator perched above them, standing atop the announcer's booth.
And, of course, his opponent.
A knight armed with a crossbow was staring directly at him. A moment later, the knight spoke first:
"…My name is Plastic Knight. Since this is an official match, I won't hold back. Be careful."
Introducing ourselves, huh? Even in a place like Kazimierz, they still maintain such an elegant rule...
Don Quixote raised his eyebrows slightly, then opened his mouth:
"Then... my name is Don Quixote."
"In the time ahead, let's have a proper match."
As he spoke, Don Quixote slowly raised his hand. Simultaneously, he heard cries from outside the arena clearly reaching his ears:
"Hurry! Plastic Knight! Crush him, destroy him! I've placed all my bets on you!"
"You've got this!"
"…If I lose this bet, I'll lose everything…"
The shouts from the spectators penetrated Don Quixote's ears with perfect clarity. He lifted his head, observing every face in the stands. Their gambler's mentality was plainly and accurately captured by his senses.
The gambler's greed for money.
"Heh…"
Don Quixote's gaze returned to the Plastic Knight before him. Plastic Knight seemed to notice his stare but said nothing, immediately stepping back and shooting an arrow straight forward.
"I'm sorry, sir... but I must win," Plastic Knight said in a low voice. Don Quixote didn't dodge, but rather calmly reached out two fingers, catching the arrow effortlessly.
"I truly don't know what to say."
Afterwards, Don Quixote smacked his lips slightly, finally coming to this assessment.
But soon after, a faint smile appeared on his face. He lifted his head again, glancing at the towering buildings around, at the screaming audience, and finally, back to the Plastic Knight before him.
Then, noticing the strange decorations covering Plastic Knight's armor, he asked softly, somewhat curiously:
"These are...?"
At that moment, Plastic Knight attacked again, but Don Quixote appeared in front of him almost instantaneously. Plastic Knight's pupils shrank in shock, but he quickly realized Don Quixote had approached merely out of genuine curiosity.
Plastic Knight hurriedly retreated a few steps. Don Quixote halted, standing still briefly, and then helplessly sighed.
Almost every decoration on Plastic Knight's body was some kind of advertisement.
"As expected…"
Don Quixote shrugged lightly, casting another glance at the spectators around him, and couldn't help but sigh again.
Opposite him, Plastic Knight grew serious, becoming wary of Don Quixote's every movement. Yet from the audience's perspective, they continued wildly cheering for Plastic Knight, driven by gambler's greed, desperately pleading for his victory.
Don Quixote seemed no longer willing to continue playing around. He raised a hand, and blood began to converge, swiftly forming into something resembling a Ferris wheel cabin, suspended momentarily in the air, ready to drop.
In that instant, Plastic Knight's pupils contracted sharply, a terrible premonition rising swiftly in his heart.
[La Mancha Carnival: Ferris Wheel Cabin]
Don Quixote leaped high, pointing downward. The Ferris wheel cabin immediately plunged downward.
In truth, Don Quixote could have conjured an entire falling Ferris wheel—but the resulting destruction would have been far too immense. He didn't wish to repeat past mistakes.
"Hey, you're kidding...!"
Plastic Knight hadn't even finished speaking before the Ferris wheel cabin crashed down with a thunderous "boom," throwing clouds of dust high into the air. He vanished momentarily in the debris.
When he reappeared before the audience's eyes, he was utterly battered, his armor shattered and ruined. Instantly, the spectators erupted in furious jeers and accusations.
Don Quixote understood clearly—those were gamblers who'd just lost money.
Otherwise, their curses wouldn't be so filthy.
"Heh… Just my luck, running into you in the first elimination match… This round's yours."
"Too bad—I won't make any money from this, just lose even more."
Plastic Knight slowly closed his eyes as he spoke. Don Quixote looked down at him from above but said nothing in response.
Was his impression of knights shattered? Were they all just money-grubbing creatures like this…?
No, not particularly. He'd long known things would turn out this way. From the moment he'd signed up for the Knight Tournament, Don Quixote had guessed that very few truly possessed the spirit of the knights depicted in storybooks.
Reality, after all, was harsh—and not everyone could be Don Quixote. All he could control was himself.
"Well, at least this means I advanced. Time to find Nearl now..."
Amid the cacophony of angry curses from the spectators, Don Quixote turned to leave. For many gamblers, an unexpected dark horse like him was always deeply resented.
But at that moment, Don Quixote suddenly halted.
He'd heard the commentator's voice. He seemed to be shouting something…
"The match isn't over yet—someone's added a new factor! A new element has entered the battlefield!"
Instantly, Don Quixote whipped his head back and saw a new figure stepping onto the arena. His pupils shrank sharply, seemingly not expecting to encounter such a thing here…
An Abnormality actually appeared?
Staring at the [Fragment of the Universe] before him, Don Quixote murmured in astonishment.
Looks like they're not prepared to let the fight end so simply... Makes sense—it wasn't dramatic enough yet.
Thus, Don Quixote lightly exhaled and prepared to step forward once again, intent on bringing this battle to a complete conclusion.
Yet just then, something entirely unexpected happened.
Seeing the sudden emergence of the [Fragment of the Universe], the stands abruptly fell silent for a brief moment.
And then—those spectators who'd originally bet on Don Quixote's defeat suddenly erupted into frenzied shouts, screaming themselves hoarse:
"Yes!—Kill him!—"
Countless curses and wild shrieks exploded from their throats. Driven by greed and desperation, nearly half the audience began roaring at the [Fragment of the Universe], demanding it attack Don Quixote. They'd bet everything on Plastic Knight's victory—and now, if this suddenly-introduced monster could defeat Don Quixote, they could still win their money back…!
As Don Quixote froze momentarily in shock, X slowly opened his eyes on the chairman's podium, softly exhaling:
"With this, we've successfully harvested the emotion of greed."
"A feeling so twisted, yet so effortlessly reignited."